


The Pain of the World on His Shoulders

by OhanaHoku



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Canon-Typical Violence, Drowning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Empathic Danny, Gen, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Team Bonding, Team as Family, empath au, implied suicidal tendencies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-05-15 06:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhanaHoku/pseuds/OhanaHoku
Summary: Since he was eight years old Danny's been an empath. No one knows but his family back in Jersey. In Hawaii he's alone.OrI'm horrible at making summaries and had an urge to write Danno as an empath.





	1. Before The Island

**Author's Note:**

> I read another story about Danny as an empath, but it was sadly only a chapter long. So here I am writing my own version! First fic on Ao3 and first time writing for Hawaii Five-0 so any constructive criticism would be appreciated! First chapter's mainly prologue to the actual story so bear with me.
> 
> TW- Drowning and Canon Typical Violence

    He’d been eight years old when it first happened, waking in the dead of night with his heart pounding with fear and a terror that tore through his chest as he dashed to his sister’s room, the feelings growing stronger as he got closer and found his sister tossing and turning in the throes of a nightmare.   


  
    He’d frantically called her name and shook her roughly before she woke up, the fear fading as his sister calmed and the nightmare faded.

 

    The next time it happened was when Danny was riding the school bus with his friend Billy and suddenly felt a spike of anger as the bus driver leaned on the horn and swore angrily at a reckless driver that ran the stop sign at practically sixty miles an hour.

 

    It had dissipated quicker that time, dissolving before Danny could completely register it. But after that time it began to happen more often. Whenever he was around someone when their emotions grew strong Danny would feel the same raw sensation of anger, joy, or fear.

 

    After trying to tell his parents and getting scolded each time for ‘making things up’ Danny decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. That is until he had his first experience feeling  _ pain. _

 

    It happened in class one day as Miss Decker’s third grade class was in the middle of a math test. Danny had been uneasy ever since he’d stepped into class that day, stomach uneasy and  mind preoccupied with the strange absence of feeling to describe it. No fear, anger, joy, sadness. There was nothing to explain the unease he was feeling, couldn’t tell who the feeling was coming from since there was just too many people in the room. It left him feeling unbalanced and he struggled to pay attention.

 

    Then it hit suddenly, an excruciatingly painful tearing sensation in the lower right side of his stomach that caused him to hunch over in his chair with a gasp identical to the one behind him as Jackie Thompson hugged her stomach and leaned forward. She let out a scream and Danny whimpered as he felt the pain and the fear simultaneously and he retched abruptly as it overwhelmed him.

 

    The teacher was instantly out of her chair and calling the school nurse for an ambulance as she dashed to the screaming girl while Billy knelt next to Danny, the nine-year-old’s eyes wide with fear as he asked Danny what was wrong.

 

    Danny wasn’t able to answer him anymore than the girl behind him was able to voice that she wanted her mommy, but Danny knew. The girl was utterly terrified, in pain that pulsed with each heartbeat, and Danny could feel it all, including his own fear for his friend,  _ God it felt like her side was going to explode! _

 

__ By the time the ambulance came Danny had lost all of his lunch and breakfast and was now screaming along with Jackie as her condition grew worse. Only one ambulance reported to the scene and as the paramedics deemed both children as emergencies by their screams alone they were transported in the same ambulance, Danny feeling every jostle of the car ten times worse as each bump aggravated Jackie’s inflamed appendix.

 

    The young Williams had passed out from the overwhelming sensations putting too much pressure on his brain before they even reached the hospital.

 

    He had come to in a blindingly white hospital room accented with dull grays in a bed that was so stiff it couldn’t be his. An IV was hung next to him, but the tube and needle hung coiled on the metal post, only a heart monitor attached to his finger now. As he became more aware of his surroundings he realized his parents were arguing by the window in his room and for once he couldn’t feel their anger.

 

    But he could still hear their emotions as they whisper-shouted.

 

    “-hasn’t been faking it! This proves that!” His mother ranted, arms waving around wildly in a typical Italian fashion that he’d inherited from her side of the family.

 

    “This doesn’t prove a thing, Clara!” His father hissed angrily, posture defensive as he crossed his arms stubbornly. “I refuse to believe my son is a freak!” Danny flinched at the harsh words, feeling extremely grateful when his mother spoke up.

 

    “Don’t you dare ever call our son that again, Edward John Williams! I will not tolerate it!” Clara Williams whispered, closer than before to a normal volume as she leaned into her husband’s face and poked his chest with her finger to punctuate every word.

 

    “Danny may have some sort of special ability, but he is not a freak!” She said, voice trembling with emotion, worry and anger mixed together as she stared her husband down. “The doctors said there is nothing wrong with Danny and the only logical explanation, no matter how crazy it sounds, is that he was telling the truth about being able to feel things other people feel. And we-” She cut off with a choked sound, almost a sob as he shoulders curled up slightly. “We’ve just pushed him away and,  _ God, _ he must have been so scared!” She dissolved into tears and Eddie had bit his lip before relinquishing his hold on his own fear-induced anger, stepping forward to envelop her in his arms.

 

    The sedatives in Danny’s body wore off just as he fell asleep once again, still exhausted after his most recent empathic bout. Right before he nodded off he could feel their worry, fear, and shock, coupled with a strong guilt, but an even stronger love.

 

    After that incident Danny began to feel more, every emotion, no matter how faint. He could feel his brother’s frustration as he played a game and kept losing, his sister’s joy when she showed her parents a grade on her test, his parents pride as they congratulated her, all at the same time. Every emotion that passed through anyone in his house, he felt.

 

    And he didn’t know how to handle it. Danny began to feel more and more trapped in his own body, unable to escape the onslaught of emotions.

 

    His parents were at a loss. They couldn’t find anyone who could help and had even been told that they should have Danny take a psych evaluation. But Danny wasn’t crazy. What was happening was too real and they could only try being there for him, to control their emotions and project feelings of calm and happiness to help him through the times when it all became too much.

 

    But it only got worse and Danny started having anxiety attacks, breath coming too fast and head pounding as he struggled to cope with the battering of emotional waves against him. At school it was terrifying. Danny could tell what everyone in the classroom was feeling and in the neighboring classes and the hallway as well.  It was affecting his grades and frustrating his teachers as they tried to figure out why Danny's  performance  was weakening.

 

    The only person Danny ever told was his best friend Billy, who tried to have his back and help out when the attacks happened at school. Danny would forever be grateful to his friend for helping him through that period where he couldn’t cope by himself.

 

Danny’s parents finally took him to the doctor. They didn’t tell Danny’s secret and the doctor prescribed some mild sedatives to help with the attacks. They helped to mute the feelings, though not entirely they made it more bearable.

 

    Danny’s siblings learned about his gift and swore to secrecy, they too supporting Danny by trying to control their emotions better. It helped and Danny slowly started gaining ground in his chase of normalcy.

 

    Over the next few years it got easier, Danny learned how to filter what he felt. At times he could even manage a total blackout of any emotions aside from his own. Things were looking up, but there was still one thing he couldn’t stop feeling. Pain. He didn’t feel that one as often as the others, but when he did it was still just as sharp as it had been that day in Miss Decker’s class.

 

    He couldn’t control how much he felt, so instead he learned how to control his reactions to it. He learned to smile instead of grimacing and to whimper softly instead of screaming. It was hard, but he developed a tolerance to it.

 

    Then everything changed when Danny was fifteen. It was family vacation time for the William’s family and that year Billy was coming with them. Danny was impossibly excited and he and Billy had started a friendly competition of everything they could think of, even seeing who could get a brain freeze first when they went out for milkshakes. Danny lost, much to his chagrin and relief.

 

    But then they decided to race. The beach at Wildwood had a buoy that they were going to swim out to and back. Danny was ahead, about halfway to the buoy when he felt the current grow stronger.

 

    He tried to swim out of the powerful pull as it dragged him out to sea, but it had too firm a grasp on him and Danny started to panic. He shouted for help as he struggled to swim back, Billy hearing his cries and swimming quickly toward him. Then one moment Billy was there and the next moment he was gone and Danny was hit full force with horror as Billy was swept under the waves by an undertow.

 

    Danny’s heart leapt to his throat as he screamed Billy’s name, kicking his legs harder, his firm strokes increasing in number as he managed to break free from the water’s hold with the spike of pure adrenaline. He could feel the confusion and fear that Billy was experiencing as he was violently battered beneath the waves, bruised badly by the harsh ebbs of water, lungs burning as first they lost air before a different burn, closer to frostbite, bloomed in his chest as he reflexively inhaled the icy water.

 

    Breath ragged with exhaustion and panic Danny swam as fast as he could towards where he felt his friend was, deeper and deeper as Danny dove under the waves to stretch a hand toward his friend.

 

    Then a sharp pain hit the base of Billy’s skull and Danny cried out, losing all his air as all pain from his friend ceased, replaced by a stifling feeling of what could only be described as death overwhelmed Danny, hot then a deep unsettling cold and he couldn’t breathe,  _ he couldn’t breathe,  _ **_he couldn’t breathe._ **

 

    Danny passed out, but he woke to the same feeling of being unable to breathe as he gagged on water as his father’s hands depressed his chest with steady, timed thrusts as he performed CPR on his son. He was quickly rolled over on to his side as he coughed and vomited out what felt like half of the ocean.

 

    His shivers had nothing to do with the cold water that soaked his skin, rather it was the creeping tendrils of death that still clung to him as he dry heaved into the sand, tears pouring down his face as his mother positioned his head in her lap and held him while he sobbed inconsolably.

 

    He’d barely made it through the funeral for Billy Selway, needing to leave as soon as the sermon ended because if he stayed any longer he’d have been sick from the sheer grief and anger in the room.

 

    The month that followed the incident went by in a blur for Danny. Constant panic attacks and bouts of dry heaving left Danny tired or agitated and the only time he was able to get any real rest was when he was given potent sleeping pills.

 

    Slowly he regained himself, though he was still plagued with a strong case of PTSD from the experience. He never went near the ocean again, only swimming in a pool and even that took some needling and constant reassurance from his family until he once again got used to the calm water.

 

    Years later Danny joined the police force. Protecting people as a cop seemed just what Danny needed, a purpose. It was difficult at first, hard to deal with the emotions of the victims, criminals, plus his fellow officers each day, plus that taste of death he felt encompass him each time someone was killed on scene.

 

    He managed through it somehow because if there were two things that Daniel Williams could be described as it was a survivor and stubborn.

 

    One day as he was working his beat he met Rachel Edwards when she, quite literally, ran into him. Or rather into his car.

 

    She was incredibly flustered and embarrassed, and Danny couldn’t help but find her blush adorable. He offered to give her some driving lessons instead of a ticket since things were different in New Jersey than they were in London, England.

 

    She’d accepted and soon after they’d started dating before they eventually got married in the Town Hall. Danny was content as he said his vows, even as he could feel an underlying doubt beneath all her love and excitement, imagining the day she’d serve him the divorce papers.

 

    But for the time they were happy and Danny got a promotion to Sergeant and was working on becoming a detective. He definitely had the knack for it as his empathic abilities allowed him to read those he interrogated, to know if they were telling the truth or holding something back. He knew how to play their emotions to get them to talk. It didn’t work one hundred percent, but it helped and soon he was Detective Danny Williams of the Newark PD.

 

    Things got complicated after that, Rachel was pregnant, but their marriage was a bit strained as she worried constantly about the possibility that Danny may not come home one night and she’d be left with a child to care for on her own.

 

    Danny understood the way she felt better than she knew, but there was nothing he could do or say to relieve her concerns; Danny never told his wife about his ‘gift’.

 

    A few months before Danny’s daughter was born another complication entered his life as he started to feel attracted to his partner, Detective Grace Tillwell. Worse than just that, he could tell she felt the same way.

 

    Nothing ever happened between them, Danny would never do that to Rachel and Grace would never come between Danny and his family and jeopardize their friendship. Danny was grateful for her resolution not to hurt him and what could potentially have split a rift between them instead brought them closer as friends, an unstoppable team for the Newark police force.

 

    That is until one day a case went sour and Danny and Grace wound up tied to chairs and interrogated for information. Danny was so close to a panic attack as they shot Grace beside him and he once again felt the touch of death encase his body. But he held it together. He had to if he wanted to give Grace the retribution she deserved. So he promised. He gathered his strength and forced away the panic and the nausea, taking a far too shallow breath and promising the man who shot her that he was dead.

 

    And within the hour he was. Killed by a bullet from Danny’s gun.

 

    Rachel wholeheartedly agreed to the name Grace for their daughter, in honor of the brave soul that had saved her husband’s life many times in the field.

 

    Soon after Danny felt the best empathic experience of his life when his baby daughter was born and began to breathe. It was the taste of newfound life, hands down the most moving feeling Danny ever felt as he teared up as the doctor handed him the precious little bundle of joy.

 

    He smiled down at the swaddled baby and lifted her to face her mother, who though flushed with exertion was radiating happiness. “Say hi to Mommy, Grace.” He chuckled as he started to hand his daughter over to his wife. “She looks like a little monkey.”

 

    Rachel swatted at his shoulder, but she was smiling as she cradled their child in her arms. “She’s beautiful.”

 

    Danny grinned as a few joyful tears ran down his face, perching on the side of the bed and wrapping his arms around the two girls in his life. “She’s gorgeous. And so are you.” He kissed Rachel’s forehead and gently caressed the baby’s cheek, positive that he was the happiest man alive.

 

    For a while things were good, their marriage improved due to their new arrival, but slowly the old problems set back in and Danny found himself shocked one day when he kissed Rachel and the soft love that always greeted him was deeply buried beneath considerable guilt and sharp determination.

 

    That was the same night she served him the divorce papers and left with Stan in his red convertible, a crying Grace in the backseat as she called out for her daddy as her mother took her away.

 

    It was also the same night Danny shut down. Somewhere among their departure, the consecutive panic attack, and the following bout of uncontrollable tears Danny’s connection to the world cut off.

 

    When he recovered from the shock he realized he couldn’t feel anything. Not only were the sensations of his wife and child gone, but he couldn’t feel even an inkling from any of his neighbors in the apartment above him. He’d unconsciously thrown up so many mental blocks that he couldn’t feel a single thing, not even pain, something he’d never been able to block before.

 

    He decided it was better that way. He couldn’t sense how torn Grace was feeling with her parents splitting up, he couldn’t feel the contempt he saw on Stan’s face when he’d seen the tiny apartment the William’s had been living in together when he stopped by to pick up the rest of Rachel and Grace’s things. He went through the divorce like any normal person would, dealing with his own feelings rather than everyone’s.

 

    But Danny wasn’t normal. He hadn’t been normal since he was eight and the loss of his empathic abilities affected him in ways he never anticipated as he became a short-tempered, bitter man who had a hard time connecting to anyone who didn’t know his secret. He frequently snapped at his friends and co-workers and with his ability blocked Danny had to rely only on his detecting abilities and instinct on the job, taking too many close calls for comfort, but nearly not caring.

 

    The William’s family was severely worried, they knew Danny wasn’t in a good place, but they couldn’t convince him to lower his walls and let the world back in as he had before. He refused to get that close to anyone again, because they’d only get torn away from him. They always did. Billy, Grace, his wife and child.

 

    His life veered off on another fork of the road as Rachel called Danny to inform him they would be moving to Hawaii and taking Grace with them. So Danny did the only thing he could. He followed them, because his daughter was the one thing he refused to let go of, even if he only saw her every other weekend. Knowing his daughter still needed him was the one thing that kept him going, kept him from throwing himself off a bridge. Keeping her safe was his last purpose.

 

    So not an hour after Rachel hung up Danny made his own phone call and put in a request for a transfer to the Honolulu Police Department on the Island of Oahu.


	2. Collapsed Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny meets Steve. His powers return. Danny punches Steve. Chin and Kono are there too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not expect such a positive review after just the first chapter! Thank you all for your comments and kudos, they're a huge encouragment! I wrote this chapter in just four days which is definitely a record for me with a chapter this long and it's all thanks to my readers! ^_^ TWs for this one: Anxiety attacks and vomit.

    Six months. Six months Danny had been barely living in Oahu, in one lousy apartment after another, despising the fact that his daughter had to stay in such places when he got her for the weekend.

 

    He was always walking on eggshells with Rachel, who upturned her nose in disdain whenever she saw his current living arrangements. Not everyone can afford a fancy house with four bedrooms and five baths, Rachel!   
  
The arguments with Rachel irritated him to no end, adding to the general frustration of life that was plaguing Danny. He was homesick for Jersey and his family, still struggling with living without his empathic power, had just lost a major case because he’d been arguing with Rachel on the phone when a witness called and hung up before Danny could do just that to Rachel. And to make it worse, the potential witness later went missing, causing more tension between him and his presiding officer at the precinct, he really hated that guy, and he was too scared to get close to his partner and his family, the only people who really seemed to like him.

 

    Thankfully he  was quickly assigned another case, he really needed something to distract him from everything.

 

    Earlier the body had been removed and the crime scene processed, but the blood stains still painted the wall and bloody footprints led away from an overturned chair, making Danny’s stomach give a small flip. He sighed, rubbing at his forehead absently as he looked around, his right hand resting lightly on his holster. The place had already been dusted for prints, but the only blood smudged print they got off the door came back with no hits in the police database.

 

    Bright lights lit the scene, the lamps still in place from where they stood while CSU took pictures of the scene. But Danny’s attention was instead drawn to an area behind the lamps, to a cluttered desk with a perfectly cleared space to hold a fourteen inch laptop. With no laptop having been processed as evidence and an educated guess from Danny that John McGarrett had not been a man who'd own anything more than cell phone, the detective concluded that it had to have belonged to the shooter.   
  
    With a thoughtful hum he turned back to the immediate crime scene, trying to figure out why the killer would have brought a laptop. Then a thump from the garage attached to the side of the house broke his thoughts, drawing his attention and setting him instantly on alert.   
  
    Drawing his gun and slowly clicking the safety off he walked slowly toward the garage, pausing abruptly outside the connecting door as he noticed a strange niggling at the back of his brain, a tingle he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  
    Emotions. Scratching at the walls that he’d put up, muted and faint, barely there, but he couldn’t block them. He was undeniably thrown, but self-preservation kicked in, telling him this was no time to fall apart from something as tiny as an itch as he knew he could be in danger from whoever was lurking in the garage. Forcing himself to ignore the odd prickling at his skull, he opened the door and walked in, pointing his gun at a man who was fiddling with a toolbox.

 

    The tall man pulled his own gun, demanding to know who Danny was. Introductions  were flung back and forth at  gunpoint as they each showed each other their ID, on the count of three no less.

 

    They instantly clashed as Steve tried to take the toolbox, using the sorriest excuse Danny ever heard by saying it was his. “No you didn’t, I can see the dust void it left on the counter.” Danny said, turning to look at him, unimpressed, furrowing his brow at the change in subject as Steve asked him how long he’d been with the HPD.

 

    The man quickly got to Danny, more irritating than sand in his sneakers and sea salt in his hair as he not only proceeded to take the toolbox, but the case as well, stealing it right out from under Danny’s nose, and he was powerless against it because the call had been to the Governor herself.

 

    Danny left the McGarrett homestead, fuming with anger and still disturbed by the incident that had nearly lit his flame and ignited his powers.

 

    He left, back to his tiny apartment, trying to forget about it while he ate some chips and watched a game on TV.

 

     But ultimately his attempts proved useless as only a few hours later Steven McGarrett showed up on his doorstep, Danny feeling the same figurative knocking at his mind as he heard the literal rap of Steve’s fist against his front door. Not that his tiny apartment had a back door to go with it.

 

    He couldn’t believe it. Not only did Steve have the nerve to invite himself in and make some pointed remarks about his living arrangements, but he also dared to use his new authority to assign Danny as his partner, without even consulting him about it. The guy was unbelievable.

 

    Oh, and that wasn’t the worst of it. Danny was positive the guy was certifiably insane. Going to face an arms dealer, a known, very violent, arms dealer at that, with absolutely no back up but Danny. There was nothing good in that plan. Nothing! Not to mention that the crazy plan got Danny shot!

 

    Danny had lots of experience with pain, from his high school football knee injury all the way back to Jackie Thompson’s appendicitis, so he handled it well. In fact he’d told his brother once before that pain caused by his own body never felt nearly as bad as pain from others, so he yelled at Steve to go, not a smart idea, but the only option they really had at the moment.

 

    But Danny regretted it when he found them, Steve’s hands up in a placating gesture, gun pointed away from the perp, not willing to risk the life of the woman Doran was shielding himself with. The criminal aimed and a shot rang out, Danny’s heart thudding quickly with adrenaline as the car window shattered and Duran slumped to the ground dead, Steve and Danny’s eyes meeting briefly through the empty slot created by the broken window.

 

    Danny let out a shaky breath and holstered his gun, resting his hands on his knees briefly as he drew in a deep inhale. This guy was going to get himself killed and Danny was not ready to lose another partner, even if he didn’t like said partner.

 

    After a quick patch up with the EMTs and calling in the boys in blue, Danny was listening to Steve, getting angrier by the second before he spoke up, only to result in an argument when Steve wouldn’t listen to reason. Danny was way past fed up with him and he jabbed Steve’s chest with his finger, tense with fury.

 

    Steve’s eyes darkened and before he could even register it Steve had twisted his arm and was gripping it tightly to keep Danny in place.

 

    Danny could hear Steve’s voice, but the words weren’t reaching him as the moment Steve had grabbed his wrist the walls that Danny had hidden behind for the better part of a year had collapsed, letting everything in again.

 

    His head was pounding with the sudden onslaught of pressure as emotion pressed in on him from all sides and he could feel everyone within a fifty yard radius. But Steve’s were the most prominent, stronger than any emotions Danny had ever felt before, twisted and hidden in deep places that Danny would rather never go. Grey edged his vision and Danny felt like throwing up or passing out, maybe both.

 

    Steve was asking him something and Danny swallowed back the bile rising in his throat to make out the words. “Okay. Let me go.” He managed to bite out. And Steve did, easing the sensations. It wasn’t enough to do anymore than prevent him from passing out, but it was something. Danny took only a moment before he straightened up, smoothing his hair back with a shaking hand.

 

    He was angry. More than angry, he was utterly infuriated and it was only fueled by the anger of his new partner. It burned in his chest and his hands grew hot as he clenched them into fists and turned right around to deliver a sucker punch to Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Steven John McGarrett’s chin.

 

    “You’re right, I don’t like you.” He muttered, walking away like a badass, leaving Steve behind him, still bent over as he processed the effects of Danny’s wicked right hook.

 

    Twenty minutes later the two men were driving down a highway with a town on one side and a slope leading up to a mountain on the other. Danny was doing his best not to freak out as the persistent emotions of the man next to him still relentlessly besieged him.

 

    The man’s emotions were spun into tangled webs and locked behind strong bars where they raged and scratched to get out, making Danny nauseous with both disgust and pity. The guy was badly messed up, whatever he’d experienced in the service had to have been pretty horrible if the emotional state of his mind was anything to go by.

 

    It took everything in Danny to keep himself relatively calm and make sure they didn’t get in an accident. Maybe he should have let Steve drive the car, he mused, biting his lip as he pulled himself back from the draw of Steve’s chaotic feelings, had the guy even let himself grieve over his father yet? Danny would bet everything he had against it.

 

    Steve must have gotten tired of the silence because he chose that moment to try to start a conversation, his voice bringing Danny back from his thoughts in time to correct the cars path from veering into the next lane. But despite that, Danny didn’t want to talk. He would rather just drive and keep his mouth shut for fear Steve’s emotions might surge too fast and make him lose his lunch as he opened his mouth to speak.

 

    Of course that didn’t work and Steve came up with a brilliant theory as to why Danny’s marriage failed.

 

    “You’re very sensitive.” Steve said, making Danny smile at the sheer irony and truth ringing in that statement.

 

    He chuckled roughly in amusement. “I’m sensitive, huh? You think I’m sensitive?” He asked, incredulous at the statement. Steve had no idea just how sensitive he was. He was so sensitive that he could feel everything Steve was feeling, he probably knew how he felt better than Steve himself. Not to mention that even as they passed cars on the road Danny got a brief flash of the emotions of those inside each of them.

 

    Danny was sensitive alright, but it had as little to do with him at the moment and as much as it did with Steve’s warring emotions of guilty grief and raging hatred.

 

    Through the conversation, where Danny learned that Steve lacked common sense where it came to tact and human relations, he managed to gain an apology from Steve for getting him shot, though not one for how he’d twisted his arm and humiliated him in front of the HPD. That was fine though, Danny already gave Steve a taste of his own medicine with his well packed punch. Danny may have been short, but he was by no means a lesser threat for it.

 

    Their next stop was at the docks where Danny got a chance to meet ex-officer Chin Ho Kelly. Danny had heard of him at the precinct, suspected of taking pay outs and stealing a considerable sum of money from the evidence to a huge drug bust.

 

    Danny wasn’t sure if Steve knew that or not, but he wasn’t in the mood to tell him, so he stayed silent and let Steve do most of the talking, content to sit and calm himself down, the sudden shock of emotions still making him feel a bit frenzied, especially since he was having trouble blocking any of it out.

 

    He could really go for a drink, the depressant quality of the alcohol would help dull his ability. He glanced at an abandoned cup on the table they were sitting at, tilting it towards himself a bit to look inside. A few ice cubes and an inch or two of watered down lemonade were all he found and he sighed in disappointment before turning in his chair to watch as Chin turned around from where he walking away to glare at Steve angrily. “Excuse me?”

 

    “Did you… take the money?” Steve asked, staring up at him, sitting sideways in his chair.

 

    Danny could feel the anger, pride, and hurt struggling with each other in Chin’s chest as he answered. “No.” Danny believed him. Though there was an underlying guilt playing in the background of his emotions, Danny was certain Chin was telling the truth.

 

    Steve stood and stared Chin right in the eyes. “Then come with us and we don’t need to talk about this again.” Danny had to admit that Steve had some pretty good instincts when it came to who he wanted on his team, after all he did choose Danny. And the detective could already tell that Chin Ho was as loyal as they came.

 

    Confusion and doubt crossed Chin’s neuro pathways, though they were hesitantly followed by hope as Steve kept talking. Still, Chin had to make sure. “How do you know you could trust me?”

 

    Steve’s conviction didn’t waver. “Because my old man did.”

 

    Hook, line, and sinker. Chin was in and after that there was no more discussion. Chin took them to a shave ice truck where they met a big man named Kamekona, who was immediately wary of the two haoles and at the same time excited at the prospect of making some money off the books.

 

    So Steve and Danny found themselves holding cotton candy flavored snow cones and oversized t-shirts decorated with Kamekona’s face, being scrutinized by a little girl. Danny had to chuckle to himself at Steve’s obvious unease around children before saving the guy some trouble by giving the girl a giant plush bunny that he’d changed his mind about giving his daughter after Step-Stan had bought her the real deal.

 

    They got a name from Kamekona, a man by the name of Sang Min who ran all human import and export on the island. Unfortunately, in order for them to get any information on Hess from the guy they’d need some leverage.

 

    Luckily Chin knew just the person and soon they were at the beach, Danny watching the activity in the water with veiled apprehension. Chin pointed his cousin out and Danny’s eyebrows raised as he watched her. She was obviously very talented.

 

    “Graduates from the police academy in a week. Unfortunately, she’s family, which means the HPD will never take her seriously.” Chin said, oozing with self-deprecation and guilt, accompanied by a fierce protectiveness for his younger cousin.

 

    As they watched Kono and another surfer crashed into each other, Danny’s chest tightening in panic for a moment even as he schooled his features. But the fear subsided as the two bobbed back up, neither one hurt.

 

    He laughed as Kono punched the guy that dropped in on her wave, the girl calming as she looked up and grinned at Chin. “Cousin!” Danny’s heart slowed slightly as the joy Kono felt at her cousin’s visit helped soothe him, giving him a slight nudge of peace to help battle the negative emotions from Steve.

 

    Danny latched on to it, using the girl’s positivity to combat the sneaking anxiety that was trying to wind around him. Chin introduced them and as Danny shook her hand it was like a rush of well-being as the physical contact heightened the intensity of Danny’s connection to Kono. Danny made the handshake linger, half aware of doing so as he drew on her emotions, giving himself a brief reprieve as he managed, for just a moment, to block everyone out except Kono.

 

    “That’s good brah.” Chin said, a slight warning tone mixed with amusement. Danny glanced at him as he left his haze, breaking the contact with Kono and trying not to show the sudden shock of surging emotions on his face as Chin was still staring at him.

 

    Like before Steve offered a spot on the team and Kono accepted readily, anticipation and excitement lighting her eyes and dimpling her smile.

 

    They spent a couple of hours planning and then they called it quits for the night, everyone going home to get some rest for the busy day ahead. Danny’s hand shook as he turned the key in the ignition and turned the Camaro’s engine over. He’d been fighting off an inevitable anxiety attack, drawing on Kono’s excitement and Chin’s optimism and calm to keep it at bay. But they had left a bit earlier, leaving Danny to deal with Steve and his conflicting feelings alone.

 

    It was only the utter humiliation he’d feel if he broke down in front of Steve that had kept him on his feet and his breathing calm even as a latent panic thrummed beneath his skin.

 

    Danny pulled out of Steve’s driveway, counting his breaths as he struggled to keep them from accelerating like his car as he pushed on the gas.

 

    Five minutes away from Steve’s house Danny returned to some semblance of composure as Steve’s emotions evaporated. The drive home was quiet, Danny almost nodding off at the wheel twice as the sheer exhaustion of having his powers awaken and toyed with hit him. He pulled up to his apartment and stumbled inside, slamming the door behind him, uncaring if his neighbors heard and complained.

 

    His breath was starting to wheeze as the anxiety that had taunted him all afternoon finally decided to attack. It was a vicious and sudden change in the detective as he collapsed to the floor, gasping in pain as he landed on his injured arm. The wind was effectively knocked out of him and Danny choked on an inhale, hands shaking uncontrollably as he wrapped his arms around his stomach as nausea turned it inside out.

 

    He couldn’t breathe and the feeling, so reminiscent of the feeling of death, sent him spiraling further as it caused flashbacks of Billy and Grace as they died. He could feel the water filling his lungs and the bullet ripping through his flesh, horribly realistic as they weren’t just PTSD-caused hallucinations. They were real memories, things that Danny had witnessed and felt, things that gave him nightmares that had him jolting awake with a dying scream on his lips.

 

    Rasped inhales escalated into panicked gasps that stuttered out of his throat, losing more oxygen than he gained. He couldn’t focus. The lack of oxygen, the distant, but present feeling of his two neighbors having a marital spat, the vivid flashbacks, it was too much.

 

    Danny’s stomach heaved painfully, making the detective retch forcefully, sick splattering on the wooden floor. Danny groaned softly, spitting out the vile vomit that hadn’t made it out of his mouth.

 

    Belatedly Danny remembered his pills. Despite not having had use of his powers for over a year Danny had kept his prescription for sedatives filled, just in case.

 

    Danny could feel his lungs burning as his strangled inhales failed to give him the oxygen content he needed.  _ The pills.  _ He just had to reach the little table next to his bed.

 

     But to do that he had to stand and that required work. Danny slowly uncurled, breathlessly whimpering as his stomach heaved again and he threw up once more, the thick bile splashing across the floor.

 

    A grimace twisted his face as he rolled away from the puddle and pushed himself up on his elbows, bracing himself as he planted his palms against the floor and pushed, weakly managing to stand on wobbly legs. His head reeled from the change in position and Danny nearly dropped back to the floor, catching himself on the corner of the fold out bed and swallowing compulsively to get his stomach to settle. 

 

    His neighbors were down right fighting now adding to his pain, a punch in the gut quite literally as they seemed to come to blows. Danny wheezed, that Mrs. Iona had a mean left hook.

 

    Danny squeezed his eyes shut at the resulting flare of pain adding to his nausea, mouth watering with spit as he held back as best he could on another bout of retching. Blindly he reached out and grasped the edge of the nightstand, fumbling along the wood for a moment, knocking off some coins and a piece of paper before he grasped the handle for the drawer and yanked it open.

 

    He forced his eyes open and grabbed the container of pills in crushing grip. It took a moment or two before he was able to twist the top off with shaking hands. Pills exploded out of the canister as Danny’s muscles spasmed without warning, the detective pushed to tears as bowed his head, trying to forcibly drag air into his chest.  _ He couldn’t breathe, dear God, it felt like he was dying. _

 

    Slowly he slid off the bed’s edge, lowering himself to the floor where he struggled to complete the simple task that was grabbing two of the small pills that were scattered on the floor. Finally he accomplished the task and popped them in his mouth, swallowing them dry as he rested his heated forehead against the cold wood floor.

 

    After a minute of trying not to throw them back up, the fast-acting pills kicked in and Danny slowly relaxed, the odd mix of love and regret and anger from his neighbors fading until it felt completely muted.

 

    With the sedatives dampening his powers, Danny’s hazy mind started to clear. Most of the panic gone, Danny’s breathing was easier, still too fast and shallow, but no longer strangled. Able to think much more clearly, Danny steadied his breathing further using one of the many techniques he’d learned.

 

_ Inhale five heartbeats….. Hold for seven heartbeats……. Exhale for nine heartbeats……… Repeat nine times… _

 

__ Gradually his breathing calmed, almost normal. Slowly Danny climbed back into his bed, flopping on to his back as he closed his eyes and started the next exercise.

 

_     Inhale through the nose… Tense the muscles in your toes and feet and hold your breath for five seconds….. Exhale through the mouth and relax the muscles.... Repeat with your knees.... Repeat again, working your way up...  _

 

__ Good, better. Much better. His tired muscles were no longer tense and his breath was steady, heartbeat no longer racing.

 

    Attacks always left him feeling achy and exhausted, wrung out and lethargic, body mostly a dead weight against his pillows. If it wasn’t for the lingering anxiety Danny could have been fooled into thinking he’d just run a marathon. But the cold fear of a possible consecutive attack and humiliation from having succumbed to his anxiety were there. He sighed through his nose. He had one last exercise that would help battle the more emotional side of the incident.

 

_ Breathe deeply… Focus on something pleasant… _

 

__ Images of bustling city streets filled his mind, his hometown in New Jersey. The sound of traffic outside his window, rumbling engines that had always lulled him to sleep.

 

    He imagined his mother bustling around the kitchen of their house, tossing this and that in a pot to make some incredible recipe that was traditionally handed down from previous generations of their family tree. He could see the rest of his family, brother and sisters and father, setting the table while tossing teasing banter back and forth at each other.

 

    And lastly he thought of Grace, his sweet, innocent Grace. He pictured her begging him to build a pillow fort, knowing he’d never be able to say no to those big brown eyes. Their fort built, using so many pillows and blankets that there were none left over. Grace insisting that they have a tea party inside it with all her toys and stuffed animals. Danny drinking the tea even though he hated it, because he’d do anything to keep his precious little girl happy.

 

    A smile slowly stretched Danny’s lips, his mood lifting as he drifted off to sleep with the happy memory playing in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it. This covers the first half of the pilot, next chapter will finish the pilot and after that I'll start diverging from the episodes. I swear that the pilot provided so much material for this and everything lined up perfectly from Steve and Danny's first physical contact being when Steve twisted his arm, to Danny looking inside the cup at the cafeteria with Chin, to Danny holding onto Kono's hand longer than normal, even that Danny looks over to the desk behind the lamps as seen in 7x23. It fit so well I nearly convinced myself that my headcanon was real. XD I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!


	3. Puzzles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny and Steve have a heart to heart, Chin is chill, Kono is adorable as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. To start, thank you everyone for the hits, kudos, and comments! Also this ran a bit longer than I meant it to, so there will be one more chapter that has to do with the pilot. TWs for this chapter is just canon typical violence and some light alcohol consumption.

    The morning greeted Danny with sore muscles, a pounding headache, and the unbearable heat that was the norm of Oahu’s weather. Danny groaned softly, rubbing his face as he slowly sat up. His senses were quiet which meant the Iona’s had already left for work. At least there was that he could be grateful for. He glanced at the clock, noting that he’d have to leave soon to meet the others.

 

    He got up, wrinkling his nose as the smell of vomit hit his nasal faculties. The throw up had congealed on the floor overnight, it’s putrid smell permeating the air of his apartment. Running short on time, Danny worked quickly to clean the mess up, thankful the floor was hard and not carpeted.

 

    Feeling sweaty and disgusting once he finished, Danny headed to the tiny bathroom in the back of his apartment, standing as long as he dared under the weakly pressured, cold water.

 

    Dressed, complete with a tie, Danny pressed the heels of palms against his eyes as he sat down on the edge of his bed. Maybe if he could think hard enough he’d be able to will his powers away. He tried, he really did, but after a year of being repressed his powers were back with a vengeance and refused to be blocked again.

 

    He sighed heavily, getting out his phone to call Chin, not quite ready to meet up with Steve just yet. “Chin, yeah it’s me. I’m about to head over to Steve’s, got any news on your end?” He asked, wincing at the raw feeling of his throat from throwing up the night before.

 

    The news was good, Chin had made contact with one of the higher-ups in Sang Min’s operation and the man was arranging a meet as they spoke. Danny wanted to talk a bit longer to attempt prolonging the inevitable, but Chin was waiting for his connection to call back, so he couldn’t stay on the phone. So the detective hung up, gathering himself before leaving the apartment.

 

    He was just placing the key in the Camaro’s ignition before he swore lightly under his breath. Hating that it had come to this, Danny hurried back inside and grabbed his pills, thankful some of the white tablets had stayed inside the container. He’d pick the rest up later and see if they were salvageable, for now the small amount in the canister would be enough. He shoved them into his pocket and left the apartment to pick up some surveillance equipment Steve had asked him the night before to bring.

 

    He walked right into Steve’s apartment, not bothering to knock, holding the box of equipment as he informed Steve of Chin’s progress and let him know he’d brought what they needed, keeping his voice in check as Steve’s being slammed into him once again, powerful and demanding attention.

 

    He was suddenly, very acutely grateful that he’d brought his pills with him, even if he couldn’t use them in front of Steve. Through some miracle and a court order, Danny was able to keep the prescription off his official records, since his condition had been under control for so long when he joined the PD; Danny couldn’t risk the information coming out now.

 

    Looking at the ugly mug Steve asked him about he shook his head, he didn’t know the guy. “No. Who is he?”

 

    Steve told him, saying that the man, Jovan Etienne, had been there the night Steve’s father was murdered, making Danny’s eyebrows raise. Jovan’s palm prints were in the study, most likely at the desk Danny had noticed, and that the bloody boot prints at the scene were his. Danny’s brow furrowed, a bit irritated at himself that he hadn’t been the one to find that out, not that it could be helped as the scene had been thoroughly cleaned before Danny got another chance to look at it. “Wait a minute, how do you know the boot prints didn’t belong to Hesse?”

 

    “Hesse wears a size eleven, like me, except double-E. The prints I found were smaller, and Hesse gets his footwear custom-made. Direct-injected polyurethane mid-sole with a nitrile rubber out-sole.” Steve explained impressively, Danny nearly reeling from the cold, calculating report that hid Steve’s anger so well.

 

    How could this guy sound so cool and collected when he was so close to an emotional outburst, or possibly an emotional breakdown? Even as he spoke there was a raging anger roaring like a lion in his head and sharp spikes of pain in his chest. Danny felt a lump in his throat and he needed to get out of there quick before Steve’s vindictive hatred for Hesse could fully drag Danny to a breakdown of his own.

 

    “Huh. You’re, uh, brain must be a miserable place.” Danny said, turning quickly and walking towards where he knew the kitchen was, the lingering smell of omelettes leading the way for him. “I need a beer.” He stated, not caring that he was technically on the job and therefore should not drink, especially with an op in a few hours. But hey, immunity and means, right?

 

    Besides, with his powers working against him the light depressant would only help take the edge off and allow him to do his work better. Steve didn’t complain either, in fact he joined him, which probably wasn’t the best idea since Steve was a normal human being, but then the army had probably taught him how to handle his liquor, and if Danny was getting away with it there wasn’t a chance that Steve would accept a lecture on the subject.

 

    Danny tore the bottle cap off the top of his bottle, not bothering to wait for the proffered bottle opener. He smirked lightly as Steve’s eyebrows raised in slight surprise through all his negativity, taking a swig of his beer to hide his amusement. Steve exited through the sliding doors, walking down to the beach where two beach chairs were waiting for them.

 

    Danny followed, though he was resolutely focusing on the drink in his hand and not the rolling waves that splashed against the beach like golden paint as the rising sun’s rays shone through them.

 

    Already the alcohol had started to take effect, a slightly warm feeling that settled around him, cushioning him from the emotional blows of the world. “So, you gonna tell me what Danno means?” Steve asked, Danny remembering their conversation the day before when Grace had called. But he didn’t want to talk about it then and he didn’t want to talk about it now.

 

    That particular story was dear to Danny and he cherished it. Telling Steve about his daughter’s nickname for him felt too close. Too real, like he was letting Steve in and increasing the chance for the universe to tear someone else away from him.  
  
    “Yeah, when you tell me what’s in the box.” Danny retorted quickly, eyes flicking over briefly to a wave that splashed against the concrete barrier between the next yard over and the ocean.

 

    “Truth is, I don’t know yet. All I know... is that my father wanted me to find it. Right now it's just a puzzle.” Steve said, Danny turning to look at him. With the alcohol making the world around him less claustrophobic and the emotions less overwhelming, Danny found himself able to focus, not on the emotions themselves, but on the man himself.

 

    He found his anger dissipating as he finally stopped to think about what the man had gone through. In a short period of time he had lost his father, partly due to his own actions, returned home after years of service in the armed forces, and to top it off he still hadn’t properly grieved for his father yet and the man who killed his dad was still on the loose.

 

    He swallowed thickly, but this time it wasn’t due to his empathy, rather his own sympathy at the man’s plight. Steve had been through so much, and although his methods were uncouth and his manners brusque, Danny reminded himself that this was a military man, someone who, according to his records, (Yes Danny had looked him up as well, though most of his findings were files marked classified that Danny couldn’t look at.) had accomplished several daring raids and rescue missions, sometimes with only one person for backup and often without anyone at all. He was trained to act on instinct, rather than procedure, it was the only way the man had stayed alive and it made sense that those traits would be what he fell back on now that he was in the civilized world.

 

    Steve felt so hurt as he spoke about his father. There was guilt shoved aside, gnawing at the corner of his mind, hurt that his dad had never explained the box dancing along the back of his thoughts, and deep grief that penetrated every inch of his psyche no matter how Steve had tried to contain it.

 

    Danny couldn’t just leave him like that. He needed something, but could Danny help? It was risky, to say anything that could pull him closer to Steve, to give the universe even an inkling that Danny had something good going for him.

 

    Biting his lip Danny weighed his options, but gave in when he came to a startling fact. Steve was _alone._ Alone and _lost,_ so very lost. He had no one that could rally to him, no one to offer any kind of emotional support or comfort.

 

    Unable to help himself, Danny gave up a piece of himself. If Steve wanted the distraction than Danny would let him in a bit, and if Steve ignored the distraction then at least Steve would know he wasn’t quite as alone as he thought. “You know, me and Grace, we like puzzles.” He stated, an offhand offer to help Steve figure it out if he ever decided he could use the help.

 

    The first emotion was surprise, then a tiny spark of gratefulness and daring hope. As expected Steve accepted the distraction. “You’re a good father.” He said, Danny taking a breath to steady himself as he let Steve in, briefly he told himself, it wouldn’t last, he wouldn’t let it. It would be better to sever their connection before it was cruelly ripped away.

 

    “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know, you know? There's three ways of looking at it. One- Could get myself killed chasing some meth-head scumbag, and then what kind of father would I be?” Danny asked, feeling the small surge of a need to protect that Steve felt.

 

    “I always looked up to my father for that. You know, the sacrifices he made.” Steve stated, Danny taking another gulp of his beer to battle the swell of pride and grief that mixed together in Steve. “I'm sure Grace is gonna feel the same way.”

 

    Danny sat down, “Yeah, maybe. Either that, or she may think I'm just a selfish son of a bitch.” He told him, letting Steve in a bit deeper. Steve needed someone to latch on to, to be there for while Steve couldn’t be there for himself. “You know, the truth is, this is all I got, I need this. I wanna do what I'm good at, I want to be reminded I'm good at what I do.” He said, looking up and out at the horizon when he felt his own words dig a bit too deep into his psyche.

 

    “If that means... having to put up with your twisted belief that you are never wrong, so be it.” Danny said with a small smile, one that Steve returned as they clinked their bottles together. In that moment he felt an understanding pass between them, a small thread of trust. It scared Danny as it simultaneously warmed his heart. It was the first time since the divorce that someone other than his family truly connected to him.

 

    He couldn’t keep the small smile from his face as he ducked his head back down to look at the label on his beer. It was a different brand than his usual, but it was good, better even. He’d have to find it next time he went shopping.

 

    “So what's the third?” Steve asked, Danny looking back at him, thinking momentarily of holding back. But if he did that after only just reaching Steve then it would be like abandoning him.

 

    He ducked his head again, swallowing as he worked up the nerve to admit something he hated admitting even to himself. “Well, even if I tell myself this isn't permanent... it's Gracie's home now. It's my job to keep it safe.”

 

    The detective wasn’t watching the man beside him, but he could feel the brief admiration before it faded as his prominent emotions pulsed, Steve reaching quickly into his pocket to pull out his ringing phone.

 

    Danny took the time while Steve talked to swallow down some more beer, looking back at Steve when he hung up. “What do you got?”

 

    “That was Chin. Sang Min bought the pitch, he meets Kono in two hours.” Steve answered. Danny could already feel Steve itching for a fight, restless and a touch hopeful.

 

    “All right, still no guarantee he's gonna tell us where Hesse is.” Danny stated, wanting to make sure that Steve maintained a realistic view of things.

 

    “He has to.” Steve’s voice raised just a bit, restraining his anger. “This is the only chance I have of finding the man who killed my father.” Steve said, getting up before Danny could say anything else and stalking inside.

 

    Danny licked his lips and finished off his beer before following him in. Two hours wasn’t much time to set their equipment up.

 

    Thankfully, with all of their equipment gathered they were able to set everything up a good half hour before the meet. Danny shifted restlessly as Kono met Sang Min. They weren’t close enough for Danny to feel anything, which was both a blessing and a curse. He was thankful that he didn’t have any more emotions piled on top of the ones from the two men with him, but he was uneasy about sending Kono, a girl who wasn’t even graduated from the academy yet, into the field blind. She was new at this, no matter how well Chin said she could handle herself.

 

    He couldn’t believe it when he traced the call Sang Min made, the phone ringing right inside his precinct. “We gotta move.” Danny said, spurring the others into action. They left the surveillance room, Steve jumping into a semi as Chin and Danny hurried past him. Danny glanced back as he reached the side of the building, now feeling the others as he looked up to see the semi driving at full speed towards the warehouse. “What the-” Danny and Chin moved out of the way as Steve drove the truck right through the wall of the building. “I’m gonna kill him.” Danny murmured, moving inside.

 

    Inside the thugs were already taken down, one poor soul being body slammed by the semi, though somehow he was miraculously still alive. Danny grimaced as he swallowed back a threatening wave of nausea, feeling the beating the men received. But at least it wasn’t death, pain Danny could make do with for the time being.

 

    Another man got shot in the shoulder, going down instantly, unconscious but living as the team ducked for cover as Sang Min sprayed bullets around the warehouse before running. “Anybody hurt?” Steve called out, Kono and Danny both yelling out that they were good. Oddly, no answer came from Chin.

 

    Worried, Danny reached out to him, focusing on his sensory signature. It took a moment to focus through the others, but he relaxed when doing so. Chin was okay, just a bit preoccupied in tying the others up before they could try anything again.

 

    Steve ran after Sang Min, Danny staying behind to help detain the others and call for their backup, something Danny had insisted on, to come pick the men up. He nodded at Chin and Kono as the first responders entered the building, signalling them to come with him as they followed after Steve.

 

    They were almost there when Danny stumbled, mind pounding suddenly with the presence of at least thirty people, terrified and confused and hurt. Danny’s hand shot out to steady himself against the wall to prevent a faceplant to the concrete, closing his eyes for a moment to help him concentrate on adjusting to the pressure.

 

    “Whoa, brah, you okay?” Kono asked, stopping behind him as Chin circled around her to stand next to Danny and lay a hand on his shoulder. Danny swallowed back the encroaching nausea, switching his focus to the two next to him, their close proximity helping to drown the others out so he could concentrate on them.

 

    Chin’s calm helped Danny gather the reins, slowing his galloping anxiety back to a slow trot. Danny breathed in deep and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Missed breakfast, probably just a low blood sugar.” Danny lied, straightening back up. “I’m good, go.”

 

    The lieutenant gave him an appraising look, but nodded, taking the lead as they hurried to catch up to Steve. They met Steve outside as he dragged Sang Min from the car, the scumbag fuming, but silent being held at gunpoint.

 

    Chin, closest to Steve, heard a creaking sound from the cargo container that Sang Min had crashed his car into. “We’ve got movement over here.”

 

    Danny responded before the eager rookie could, knowing exactly what was in there. He didn’t want any of them hurt any more than they already were. “Go ahead. Go ahead, I gotcha.” He said, nodding to Chin as he came over, gun in hand though he knew he wouldn’t need to use it.

 

    The door opened to reveal the refugees, their fear hitting Danny full force now that they were right in front of him. He lowered his gun, speechless as the illegals stared back at him. There weren’t just men and women, there were children. Children that Sang Min would turn into slaves if they hadn’t caught him.

 

    “Danny.” Steve’s voice chased his thoughts away, the detective turning, eyes that were almost haunted gazing back at Steve. He managed a shaky nod before turning to leave with a hasty explanation of letting the backup know where they were and that they’d need more help.

 

    Soon the place was swarming with more police officers and human services people, Danny standing back from the crowd as they waited for Chen-Chi to arrive and be reunited with her parents. Her father was deeply worried, trying to stay strong for the mother’s sake. Danny pursed his lips and walked over, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder and pointing out the police cruiser that was bringing their daughter.

 

    Immediately the man’s worry eased, a big smile adorning his face as Danny watched them reunite.

 

    A short time later Danny was hanging out with Kono while Steve and Chin interrogated Sang Min. Danny was congratulating the rookie on her excellent performance, getting a solid surge of joy and a grin in return.

 

    There was a brief lull in the conversation and Kono went to her cousins car for a moment, Danny nodding and taking the moment to sneak one of the light sedatives he’d brought, the alcohol had long worn off.

 

    He glanced back at the building as he felt a sudden sharp pain in his jaw preceded by a rush of anger on Chin’s part. He could make an educated guess about what Sang Min said to provoke the ex-cop.

 

    Before he could give the idea of checking on his colleagues much thought he was blinking in surprise as half a sandwich was thrust in front of his face.

 

    He looked back at Kono to find the girl grinning widely, holding the other diagonally sliced half. “I didn’t have any breakfast either.” She said with a shrug, though Danny could feel her light concern.

 

    He chuckled and took the sandwich, raising it slightly to her. “Uh, thank you.” He said, taking a bite of the sandwich and realizing how hungry he actually was. Being an empath he burned calories quicker than most because he used up more energy.

 

    “No problem, brah.” She said, munching on her half. Soon the sandwiches were gone and Steve was walking out of the building, murder in his eyes.

 

    Danny bit his tongue to keep from saying anything, humor was his own defense and coping mechanism, not Steve’s.

 

    “We’ve got Hesse. He and Etienne are on a cargo ship, the Emma Carl. It’s headed for China and it’s due to depart in an hour.” He said, Danny clenching his teeth from the anger churning inside Steve.

 

    Kono straightened. “What are we waiting for then? Let’s end this.”

 

    “No. Kono, you’re staying behind with Chin and making sure that Sang Min is incarcerated. Do not let him escape, if he tries put a bullet in him.” Steve ordered, Danny raising an eyebrow, but keeping quiet.

 

    The rookie was obviously a little disappointed she wasn’t in on the action, but she nodded. “Go get him, Boss.” She said, walking back to the building to help her cousin.

 

     “Danny.” Steve commanded the detective with nothing more than his name and a tilt of the head, making Danny follow him to a police cruiser.

 

    They got in, Danny glancing at Steve. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

 

    Steve gave him a look as he turned the key in the ignition. “Stop Hesse.”

 

    Danny nodded, pressing his lips together. “Okay, how do you plan to do that?” He inquired, holding on to the door as Steve gunned the engine.

 

    “I don’t know yet.”

 

    “You don’t know yet. I don’t know yet he says! Perfect! Just… perfect.” Danny muttered, stomach roiling with his own fear and worry. “If you get me killed I will come back to haunt you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Lots of notes here. First off, disclaimer for the last chapter. I have no personal experience with panic or anxiety attacks so I apologize if it's not completely accurate. Secondly, the three breathing techniques, in order are these: 1) The Advanced Inhale-Hold-Exhale Deep Breathing, 2) Progressive Relaxation, and 3) Guided Visualization. These techniques are different levels of advanced, beginner, and intermediate levels of breathing exercises that you can read more about here. https://blog.spire.io/2018/05/01/breathing-exercises-for-anxiety/
> 
> I feel like I had more to say, but I'm drawing a blank so I guess that's it. XD Next chapter should be up soon!


	4. The Burden Of Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny and Steve storm the Emma Carl and Danny tastes death for the first time since the full resurgence of his powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, I want to apologize and thank everyone who has stuck around for this story. I'm sorry it took so long to update, unfortunately I hit a major bout of writer's block on this story and the ending of the episode just wasn't coming out right. So I've shortened this chapter due to that and will continue in the next chapter on my own story line without rewriting the episode anymore. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to continue this and stuck around despite the long hiatus! Your comments always encourage me to write more! TW's for this chapter: Death, Canon Typical Violence, Vomit, and Blood.

Danny listened to Steve’s end as he conversed with the governor, silently agreeing with Steve, much to his own surprise. He furrowed his brow as he pondered that interesting realization.  _ GI Joe must be rubbing off on me _ .

 

    It was only logical. With the sheer potency of Steve’s hatred for Hesse Danny had adopted a small semblance of it, though perhaps it also had something to do with the way Steve, despite being a big pain in Danny’s neck, had somehow weaseled his way into a tentative friendship with the detective.

 

    “That ship is not going anywhere.” Steve said, the tiniest edge of desperation in his voice, like an echo of the true anxious frenzy he was feeling. He hung up on the governor, swallowing thickly and gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

 

    Danny bit his lip and glanced over at him a couple of times before venturing a remark. “I’m guessing she wasn’t too happy about your mindless plan?”

 

   The hands on the steering wheel nearly shook as Steve drew in a sharp breath and let it out softly. “No. No, she was not.” He frowned, eyebrows drawn together as he scanned the road ahead of him, Danny sensing his inner turmoil, wincing as he classified his rage as a Category Five hurricane. “Danny, I-”   
  
    The man cut himself off, pressing his lips together in an ugly twist before starting again. “I can’t. Let the man who killed my father get away.” His hatred and fear pounding away in his chest, making his heart race.

 

    He looked over at Danny, stare intense despite the way he kept glancing back at the road. A downright terrifying hopelessness was churning his gut and making the palms of his hands sweaty as he shifted his grip on the wheel. “The governor is right though. What we- What I’m about to do is risky and it could cause a lot of trouble. I can’t drag you into thi-”

 

    “Excuse me?” Danny interrupted, eyebrows raised. “You know, this sounds very weird coming from the man who kidnapped me to aid him in his personal vendetta, but!” He said, gesturing with a finger pointed to the sky. “There is no way that you are dragging me into this. If I didn’t want to do this then let me tell you right now, there is no way in hell that I would be here!”   
  
    Steve’s brow furrowed and his eyes were now swirling with confusion as Danny softened his tone. “Listen, Steve. This guy Hesse is a murderer and a terrorist and he deserves to be dead, honestly, simply for what he did to your father.” Steve’s eyes widened. “You’re hellbent on this plan and there is no way I’m letting you go in there alone, buddy. As much as I hate it, I’m your backup, remember?” He asked, smiling a little. “I got your back, Steve. We’re going to get Hesse. I promise you.”

 

    Like magic the words Danny uttered eased some of the tension out of Steve, his emotions settling briefly like the eye of a storm. He nodded, choking back a lump in his throat. “Thanks Danny.”

 

    “You’re welcome. Now let’s go catch this scumbag.” Danny said, settling back in his seat, a tiny knot in his own chest loosening as Steve nodded, regaining a spark of hope that grew into a flame as they flew down the highway to the docks.

 

    They had just reached the wharves when Danny’s phone rang, the screeching sound telling him it was his ex calling. He answered it with reluctance, knowing before Rachel’s voice exploded on the other end of the phone what she was calling about. “Rachel! Rachel, don’t start with me, I left you two messages telling you you had to pick her up!” He rolled his eyes at her response. “Don’t tell me you had to change your plans, you send a driver for her half the time anyway!”

 

    Indignation filled him as she once more started to complain, trying to talk about the visitation arrangement. “I can’t- I can’t do that right now, Rachel, I’m in the middle of something.” He sighed as she refused to back down. “Please stop for a second.” He said, pausing to make sure she wouldn’t talk anymore. “Can you just do me one favor?”

 

    Something in his voice must have reached her because she answered a quiet affirmation. “Just tell Gra-” He had to stop for a moment, knowing that he may get killed on their mission and not see his daughter again. “Tell Grace Danno loves her, alright?”

 

    He heard her response, as well as a quick warning to be careful at the same time he felt Steve’s concern aimed in his direction. It was obvious he’d come to realize why Danny had said that.

 

    Danny glanced over at him, but couldn’t deal with his serious face. “Okay!” He said, thinking he may as well tell Steve, after all he was possibly about to die and what was the harm in letting Steve in if he wasn’t going to be around to regret it? “Gracie was three, she tried to say my name and all that she could say was Danno, okay, that’s all that came out, Danno, okay?”

 

    Steve felt a bit surprised at the confession, but rolled with it easily, smug that Danny had told him. “That’s it?” He asked, brow furrowing as he didn’t understand why it was such a big deal.

 

    “That’s it. That’s it.” Danny said, bracing himself with the door again as Steve turned a corner.

 

    “That’s cute.” Steve said, Danny clenching his fist.

 

    “Shut up.” Danny responded, dragging out the phrase as he looked at Steve angrily.

 

    “What? What? Why can’t I think it’s cute?” He asked, confused at Danny’s anger.

 

    Danny was already regretting telling Steve the story, especially if they made it out of the mess they were in. “Because. Because, I don’t need you thinking anything about it, it’s between me and my daughter.” He explained, Steve feeling an inkling of understanding.

 

    The conversation ended as they reached their destination, Steve braking so sharply that Danny was almost sure he could feel the car groaning in pain. Steve’s determination and anger resurfaced. “That’s it, the Emma Carl.” He stated, looking at the freighter.

 

    “Taking off, how do you want to do this?” Danny asked, desperately hoping that Steve had come up with a plan better than shoot first ask questions later.

 

    His prayers went unheeded though as Steve’s answer was to check his gun and drive straight up the ramp of the ship into direct gunfire of the workers on board. Seriously, what was this guy’s problem? Couldn’t they have come up a better plan than that? The man was crazy, he had no sense of what was sane versus insane.

 

    They got out of the car, Steve hurriedly telling Danny to cover him while he went after Hess. Danny huffed, but followed orders, raising his gun and downing one man with an effective shot to the shoulder that quickly sent him to the floor. Danny grit his teeth as the pain seared in his shoulder as the man fell.

 

    He moved towards the man’s body, intent on taking the machine gun in place of his own when a terrible pressure attacked his psyche, pushing Danny to the ground, facing the man he’d just downed. Steve had just shot a man, center mass. The sense of death wrapped around him, too much after only getting his powers back the day before. He was hot and cold and he couldn’t breathe,  _ he couldn’t breathe. _

 

    Then the intense feeling of loneliness hit him, something that Danny had learned to recognize as the last sensation of death. No matter who they were, where they were, or if anyone was with them, loneliness was always the last emotion.

 

    Unable to push the nausea down, Danny heaved. The undigested remains of the sandwich he’d shared with Kono came up, splattering on the deck of the ship. Then the pressure faded, faint, but no longer oppressing as Danny sucked in a ragged breath. A headache was blooming, however Danny didn’t have time to pay attention to it. He was still in enemy territory and while Steve running across the ship had provided a temporary distraction, Danny wasn’t safe by any means.

 

    He pushed himself up, wiping his mouth and grimacing down at the mess before chuckling to himself. At least anyone who saw it would think it came from the man he’d shot. He took the machine gun, steadying himself with the cargo container before pushing forward. He rounded a corner, only to duck back behind it as shots bounced off the metal around him. He fired off a burst for the sniper on top of the shipping container, steeling himself against the repeating feeling of death as the man swiftly died.

 

    His breath hitched and his stomach threatened to be sick, but Danny forced his reaction back, it was crucial for him to stay focused, to stay on his feet. He’d been lucky the first time, but a repeat of the incident could be deadly. He dumped the machine gun, now empty of bullets and took out his own firearm.

 

    A sudden spray of bullets proved the danger he was in and Danny threw himself to the ground, rolling to cover and firing a shot that ricocheted off a metal table leg into the leg of the person shooting at him. Stunned, the man fell, his body thumping against the deck as hot agony ripped its way through Danny’s leg.

 

    Danny stoutly ignored it and took the lull in gunfire to reach out to Steve, focusing his powers on the man. He was angry, in pain with his arm having been shot, but he wasn’t letting his hatred get the better of him. It was impressive as well as concerning how Steve compartmentalized his anger so well and keep a cool head in combat.

 

    Then he felt a jolt as Steve banged into something, a rush of fear underneath the cool exterior, then a guilty satisfaction as a slight pain ran up his arm, the sensation positive proof of a recoil from a gun. An almost simultaneous sensation of bullets tearing through his torso followed, one in his gut and one in the side of his chest. But the sensation of death never reached him and Danny couldn’t help but be grateful he wouldn’t have to endure it again.

 

    Noticing the man he’d downed starting to wake up, Danny ran over to him and kicked the gun away before he could grab it, zip-tying his hands behind his back.

 

    “Hey.” Steve’s voice made Danny’s head look up, eyebrows raising at the sight of the man, blood smeared on his face and his arm. “Get the coast guard to find that body.” He ordered, jerking his head toward the water

 

    Danny nodded, feeling guilty as he looked up at Steve. His emotions had settled, a feeling of justified satisfaction sitting in his chest, thinking the man who killed his father was dead when in reality Danny knew he wasn’t. “What do you want me to do with this one?” He asked, kneeling on the man with a knee in his back.

 

    Steve slowly smiled, his anger fading along with his adrenaline as he answered in a tentatively amused voice. “Book ‘em, Danno.”

 

    Danny sighed, shaking his head. He knew he’d regret telling him. “What’d I tell you about that?” He asked, though there was no real fire behind it. The man beneath Danny started struggling and Danny stared down at him in exasperation. “Where are you trying to go? Where?” He asked, standing up. “Go ahead. Do you want me to shoot you?”

 

    He felt rather than saw Steve’s grin as a tiny twinge echoed from his split lip. Something finally unknotted and settled in Steve’s chest, a small mirroring knot loosening in Danny’s own as he glanced up at the retreating man’s back and hoped that he wouldn’t find out about Hess. If Steve knew he was still alive it could send him back into his downward spiral. He frowned and set his jaw, resolving to do his best not to let that happen to the SEAL, even if he had forcefully awakened Danny’s powers, the man couldn’t be blamed for that and it was obvious to Danny that what Steve needed was a friend. Someone to pull him back from the brink he was wandering so close to. 

 

    If Danny didn’t do it, who would after all? Chin? Kono? Neither of them truly knew how Steve was feeling. So now the burden rested on Danny’s shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go! Hopefully the next chapter won't take too long to write. In the meant time I'm almost done with the third and last chapter of my other story, A Bleeding Lehua, so it should be up soon!


	5. Mahalo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny gets back in touch with his daughter and Steve may have just realized he's not alone in the world anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everybody! I want to give a big mahalo to everybody who's commented on this work! Your comments are really what keep me writing, even when I'm going through a bad spell. So, thank you, or mahalo, rather. ^.^ I may downsize the chapters after this one so I can make my updates quicker, but I'm not sure yet. No triggers for this chapter, so please enjoy!

    “Danno!” A small girl with a dimpled smile flung herself at her father, who picked her up into a great big bear hug.

 

    “There’s my monkey!” Danny exclaimed, hugging her tight and kissing her head, closing his eyes for a moment just to feel the way her childish innocence washed over him like a soothing balm.

 

    The tension in his shoulders eased, the two Williamses content in that moment just to be together once again.

 

    The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the precious moment, prompting Danny to look up.

 

    “Well, if you don’t need me for anything then I’ll get going.” Said Rachel Edwards, hands folded politely in front of her.

 

    Danny nodded, setting his daughter down reluctantly so she could hug her mother goodbye. She came back, taking his hand.

 

    “Just drop her off at school Monday. We’ll have the chauffeur pick her up after school.” Rachel instructed before turning to climb into her car, leaving her daughter behind with Danny.

 

    Danny and Grace waved goodbye to her, a sharp pang of longing in Danny’s chest. She may have left him, but his heart was still captive to her, no matter how much he tried to tell himself to forget her, knowing that they would never be together again.

 

    His feeling of longing was softly echoed by his daughter in the sadness that hurt her as she watched her mother leave, knowing that her parents wouldn’t ever be a complete whole like they used to.

 

    Danny glanced down at his daughter, squeezing her hand. “You wanna head inside?”

 

    They both turned to look back at the apartment, Grace’s face looking dubious. Danny nodded, “You know what? Me neither. Come on, we’re going for a ride.”

 

    He had her get in the passenger’s side as he placed her stuff in the backseat. He slipped behind the wheel, giving his daughter a smile as he pulled out, driving with one hand on the wheel and his other hand holding his daughter’s, maintaining that connection.

 

    They’d been in the car for a few minutes before the young girl spoke up, looking out the window. “Where are we going?”

 

    Danny smiled, loving the feeling of childish curiosity coming through their bond. His bond with his daughter was the strongest one he’d ever felt. Sometimes he could swear that he could feel her even when she wasn’t with him, but that was probably just his imagination.

 

    “We are going to a hotel for the weekend.” He told her, smoothly turning on to a different road.

 

    His daughter gave him a look. “Won’t that cost too much money?” She asked, too aware of and concerned for her father’s financial situation than he wanted her to be.

 

    Danny pressed his lips together. “Well. Normally it would be, but not this time. I got a… promotion and the guy that I work for now got us a room at the hotel for the weekend.”

 

    He glanced at her, smiling. “So I want you to help me write a nice thank you letter for him, okay?” He always did his best to raise his daughter right.

 

    Grace grinned, nodding. “Okay, Danno. What’s the guy’s name?” She asked him, looking excited for the weekend now.

 

    “His name is Steve.” He told her, “I’m going to work with him now. He’s kind of a goofball and a nutcase.”

 

    Grace laughed at her father. “I can’t wait to meet Uncle Steve.” She said, grinning, her cheeks dimpling.

 

     “Whoa, hey, hey. What’s this Uncle Steve business, huh? You haven’t even met the guy, you silly monkey.” He said though he was smiling, tickling her side lightly as he stopped at a red light.

 

    Grace giggled, pushing his hand away. She answered seriously though. “I heard Mommy talking to Step-Stan and she said that you and he stopped a lot of bad men together. So he must be a good guy. Besides, you already like him, I can tell. And he got us the hotel room, so I’m calling him Uncle Steve.”

 

    Danny just shook his head with a chuckle. Sometimes he wondered if she would develop his empathic powers someday. She already seemed to read people very well for someone her age.

 

*************************

 

    Danny lounged in a beach chair on the side of the hotel pool, watching Grace play with some of the other children in the water, smiling happily at the joy radiating from the kids, but especially his daughter.

 

    He was getting more accustomed to his powers again. He could differentiate between people even in crowded areas and he could block them out if he needed to. He could tell the woman sitting on his left was going through a recent breakup from the ache of longing in her chest she was ignoring, he could tell the man next to her was physically attracted to the troubled woman and could only guess at how that would turn out if he got up the courage to talk to her.

 

    He could also feel the pain of those around him, but after a few grimaces and flinches he was finding it manageable. He could tell the older gentleman with the grey mustache across the pool had a bad knee that was acting up. A woman who looked like she was in her mid-forties, and whose son was playing with Grace, had an ulcer, which was probably why they were on vacation if the way her husband was doting on her said anything.

 

    There were more minor aches and pains, including a stomach ache that he was positive was a result of lactose intolerance, a sprained ankle, and a stitched wound on the arm of a young man who Danny had heard regaling some girls of the car accident he’d been in, though Danny knew he was lying about that and had probably hurt himself doing something stupid.

 

    It was okay, Danny was quickly remembering how to block out the emotions and ignore the pain, focusing on things that were pleasant until he could  concentrate only on the things he saw instead of the things others felt.

 

    Everything was going well until he felt a sudden change in his daughter’s emotions, watching her climb out of the pool as he felt a small snowflake of sadness bloom in her chest, the frost creeping into her stomach and her hands.

 

    She came over, plopping herself down in the chair next to her father, a frown fixed firmly on her psyche, but a bright smile on her face. “Can we have lunch now, Danno? I’m starving.”

 

    Danny couldn’t even begin to describe how much it hurt him that his little girl was hurting so badly, but hiding it from him. When had she started doing that? How long had it been since she’d gotten so good at it without him noticing? He used to know the signs, even after he had lost his power. But now he wondered how many times since their breakup had his little girl hidden how she felt from him, putting on that cheerful smile while she felt like breaking down and crying.

 

    Danny rose an eyebrow. “Lunch? We just had breakfast. Come here.” He had her settle in his lap, looking down at her. “What’s up, huh?”

 

    Grace looked down, shrugging her shoulders even as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

 

    Danny sighed, hugging his daughter closer to him and rubbing her back gently. “Come on, Monkey. I know something’s wrong. I always do, remember?”

 

    Grace shook her head, still looking away. “Not always. Not since the divorce.” She said, sniffling a little.

 

    Danny winced at that, berating himself for not having been there when he should have for his daughter. “I’m sorry, Monkey. But that’s going to change now, okay? I promise. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong, okay?”

 

    His little girl looked up at him, feeling more angry than sad suddenly, though the sadness still played a somber melody in her heart. “Timmy says that you and Mommy split up because of me.” She said.

 

    Danny rose an eyebrow. “Oh, he did, did he?” He looked over at the kids playing in the water. “Which one is Timmy?” He asked, Grace pointing to a kid with a mop of blond hair on his head. “That one? You want me to go over there and beat him up for you?”

 

    As it was supposed to, this prompted a small giggle from his daughter who shook her head.

 

    “No? How about I just arrest him instead?” He asked, another, louder laugh coming from Grace as she shook her head again.

 

    Danny smiled at the sound, a steady beat of happiness growing quietly in her chest, slowly overpowering the sadness. He kissed her head. “You know your Mommy and I both love you very much, right?”

 

    Grace nodded, not even a sliver of doubt clouding her psyche.

 

    “Good. Never forget that, okay?” He requested, getting another nod. “There were a lot of reasons that your mother and I split, but you were not one of them, Grace. That’s the truth, I swear on the honor of my badge, got it?”

 

    Grace hesitated before the happiness in her chest bloomed, along with belief in her mind. “Got it.” She echoed with a dimpled smile.

 

    Danny grinned back at her, kissing her head again. “Good. Now, what do you say we go down to the beach and collect some seashells? You can send some home to Gramma and Grampa.”

 

    Grace nodded eagerly, taking her father’s hand as they walked to the beach, happiness shining through their bond.

 

*************************

 

    Steve McGarrett wasn’t the least bit surprised to find he had mail, it was Wednesday which was the day his father had always gotten his latest edition of Midweek. Steve had yet to cancel the subscription, so when he pulled the magazine out he brought it inside with the intent to call the company and discontinue the deliveries, he was slightly surprised to see a white envelope with his name on it sticking out between the pages of the magazine.

 

    He walked back inside, tossing the magazine on the table as he checked the return address on the envelope. There was no name, just an address, which, though familiar, he couldn’t place. He turned it over in his hand, raising an eyebrow at the heart that was carefully drawn with crayon over the closed flap like a seal.

 

_     “A heart? Really?” Danny had asked, raising an eyebrow at his daughter as she giggled, nodding her head, filling in the big red heart she’d drawn over the flap. _

 

_     “I do that for Uncle Matt, so I’ll do it for Uncle Steve too.” She said, the detective just shaking his head in exasperation. _

 

    Steve turned, grabbing a knife and slicing open the top of the envelope neatly, reaching in to pull out a big, homemade card.

 

    He laughed as he saw the drawing on the front, a picture of a little girl holding her father’s hand as they stood on a beach, the man sporting a white shirt and a black tie. That could only be Danny Williams. Written on the card above them in rainbow-colored letters was one word. ‘Mahalo!’ Smiling, he opened the card and read the heartfelt thank-yous from his new partner and his young daughter, Grace.

 

    A warmth that Steve hadn’t felt in a long time grew in his chest. He hadn’t seen the detective since they wrapped up the case, having given him a week to settle anything he had going on back at his old precinct. It was nice to know that the weekend with his daughter had gone so well.

 

    Steve glanced at the refrigerator, taking a magnet to attach the card to the fridge, smiling at it before he went to call the magazine company.

 

*************************

 

    Monday morning the four met back up, Danny striding into their new headquarters with an easy smile, taking only a moment to read the emotions of those in the room.

 

    Kono stood at the computer system, eyes lit with delight as she explored its capabilities. She was obviously excited to be part of the group, ready and willing to help in any way she could and eager for action.

 

    Chin stood close behind her, smiling with pride as he watched his young cousin handle the computer so well. Danny sensed his profound relief, no doubt glad that he was getting a second chance and that his cousin would have a good shot at the job she wanted without his marred record affecting her chances.

 

    Then, of course, their fearless Commander strode in from his office, leader written on every inch of his body by the way he held himself erect in a military manner. Danny could still vaguely sense the grief and anger inside of him, but with the way he was restraining himself to only graze the most predominant emotions, he felt more of Steve’s determination and even some pride and maybe a touch of happiness as he addressed his new team.

 

    “We have a new case.” He told them without preamble, Danny blocking out the others’ emotions so he could focus. He took over at the console, pulling up the mug shots of two men and a woman. “Dave Griswold, Martin Franks, and Leilani Mahelona. We suspect these three of running a meth operation. We have one witness who claims the two men tried to convince him to sell the stuff for them, Leilani’s young brother, Ano.”

 

    He pulled up another picture, this one a social media post of Ano and his sister. “He says his sister is the one making the stuff, but against her will. Whether or not that’s true we can’t know for sure, just yet.”

 

    He looked at his newly founded team, “Chin and Kono, I want you two to talk to Ano, see if you can get any more information. He’s down at the station now.”

 

    Chin nodded, Kono giving Steve a mock salute. “Will do, Boss!” She said cheerfully, following her cousin down to the precinct.

 

    Steve smiled, saluting her back before turning to Danny who raised his eyebrows. “I’m guessing I’m stuck with you then, aren’t I?”

 

    The commander only laughed at Danny’s question, leading him out. “We’re headed to search the houses of Griswold and Franks, we might find a clue to where they’re making the meth.”

 

    Danny gave him a smile. “Oh really? I wouldn’t have known. Detective, remember? Come on, I’ll bet I can find more clues than you can.”

 

*************************

 

    Danny glanced over at Steve, narrowing his eyes. “Remind me again of why you’re driving my car.” He said, getting a grin from Steve.

 

    “You drive too slow. Besides, I know my way around the island more than you do.” He explained, making a turn sharper than it needed to be.

 

    Danny sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You drive like a maniac and I know my way around this area very well, believe it or not.”

 

    “Then I’ll choose not.” Steve rebutted with another grin, chuckling as the detective just sighed and gave up on the conversation for the time being.

 

    The shorter man just hung on to the dash, muttering a threat against Steve if he damaged his precious car. The real reason he gave up though wasn’t that he thought it was futile, but because if letting Steve drive made him happy then it was worth it, at least until his stubborn partner had dealt with some of his emotions.

 

    He’d just hope that Steve wouldn’t get them killed with the erratic driving.

 

    The car was silent for a few minutes before Steve started a conversation. “I’m glad the weekend worked out.”

 

    Danny glanced at him, about to speak before Steve spoke again, a little, soft smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I liked the card. And you’re welcome. It was the least I could do after you helped me get Hesse.”

 

    A bit of a smile came to the Jersey cop’s lips. “Well, the card was Grace’s idea.” He fibbed, not needing to show his gratitude any more than he already had.

 

    Steve hummed, nodding. “So… Uncle Steve?” He asked, referring to what Grace had written in the card, raising an eyebrow at Danny.

 

    “That was her idea too. Said you were a good guy for stopping the ‘bad men’ and getting us the hotel for the weekend, so you earned the title.” He explained, shaking his head fondly as he thought of his daughter.

 

    That got a smile from Steve and the SEAL fell silent for a minute before smirking. “By the way, Gracie knows her father well.”

 

    Danny rose an eyebrow, unsure of what Steve meant. The Navy man grinned even wider, looking over at him. “Her picture. No one else wears a tie in Hawaii, especially at the beach.”

 

    With an indignant squawk from Danny, their day started as they pulled up at their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count - 2827. So we'll be getting a bit more into the plot in the next chapter or so. Also, I wrote an alternate ending to this chapter that I plan to post as a separate work, so feel free to check that out! Thank you again to my readers, I shall see you in the next chapter, aloha!


End file.
